Comics = Art 0

[exitmusicblue]

Therein lies the print comic book's relevance and collectibility for future eras.

There are easily hundreds of artists and thousands upon thousands of their works of art that are immortal (spanning centuries ago to the present) and desired and collectible.  The march of digitalization won't change this for as long as humans remain human and want to possess what they see as beautiful, meaningful.

Why should (the greater examples of) comic books be so different?  They've surely influenced our contemporary culture as much or more than have many immortals of the art world.

My nothing-special AF15 in 2.0 grade, when shown to total non-collectors, has not yet failed to inspire awe... many of the same folks wouldn't recognize an El Greco or a Rockwell (which do quite well regardless).  My 1990s X-Men #1 copy, at a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the price, likewise has inspired a young relative who's known nothing but 'net cartoons.  Many kids can see what such a book represents.  They understand and respect the original source material.  

The art world doesn't need a bajillion collectors.  Just the right ones who grasp significance and history.

I wouldn't underestimate the long-term appeal of the comic book as we know them.  I'm quite confident our comics community, even as it evolves, ain't second to the Warhol lovers or the Great Gatsby 1st ed. aficionados.

 

[Buzzetta]

The art is the art.

The comic is the reprint of the art. 

Now I would compare comics to first edition books... but not the actual art.